Hypodermic syringe



June 25, 1929. A, SMITH 1,718,591

HYPODERMIC SYRINGE Filed Feb. 15, 1927 L 1 N VEN TOR. ARTHUR E. SMITH.

BY WMw- N A TTORNEY.

Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR E. SMITH, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

HYPODERMIC SYRINGE.

Application filed February 15, 1927. Serial No. 168,293. 7

This invention relates to hypodermic syringes.

The general object of my invention s to provide an improved hypodermicsyrlnge which is adapted to receive an ampule tor injection of drugs inthe ampule.

A further object of my invention 1s to pro vide a syringe havingnovelmeans for removably holding an ampule therein.

A specific object of my invention is to provide means for readilyforminga fluid tlght joint between the syringe and the ampule.

Still another object is to provide a syringe having novel means forautomatically center? ing an ampule placed in the syringe.

Further objects and advantages of the in vention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the ac (:ompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged central verticalsectlon 01 my improved syringe.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of an ampule which may be used inconjunction with my syringe.

Fig. 3 is a section of the syringe taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. V i

Fig. i is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the barrel of thesyrlnge showing the centralizing ampule holding fingers.

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the plunger and telescopingmechanism used 1n the syringe, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view partly in elevation of a modified form ofsyringe. p 7

In the accompanying drawings I have indicated my improved syringegenerally at 10.

v This syringe is particularlydesigned tor use with an ampule 11, shownin detail in F1g. 2.

The ampule comprises a body 12 having a tapered end portion 13 which isclosed and terminates in a breakable tip 14. The tip 14 may be renderedreadily separable from the ampule by scoring, notching, etchlng, or

otherwise weakening it as indicated at 15.

The open end of the ampule is closed by a stopper. 16 which ispreferably of rubberand which fits the ampule tightly, enabling it toact as a piston to expel the contents of the ampule through the taperedend portion 13 i after the tip 1 1 has been broken therefrom ashereinafter described. The ampule is preferably of a size to hold theamount of a drug necessary for one injection.

The syringe 10 comprises a body or barrel 18 having a cross bar 19 forengagement by the fingers of an operator. The barrel 18 is also providedwith a plurality of spaced apertures 20 and a plurality of spaced springfingers 21. These spring lingers may be formed by slitting the metal ofthe barrel 18 and pressing the released portions inwardly. The springmembers may, however, if desired, be

separate pieces of material secured to the barrel 18 of the syringe inany suitable manner.

The upper end of the barrel of the syringe is threaded as at 22 fordetachably securing to the syringe body a cap 23 (see Fig. 5) which islikewise threaded.

The cap 23 includes a plunger mechanism 24c tor engaging the stopper 16and moving it. The plunger includes a plurality of telescopic tubularmembers 25, 26, and 27, which may be multiplied in number to any desiredextent. A. spring 28 is located within these tubular telescopic membersand bears between the upper portion of the cap 23 and the upper portionof the lower or innermost telescopic member 27. The lower telescopicmember 27 is provided with a head 29, which comprises a tapered rubberwasher 30 disposed between a metal ring 31 and a tapered metal tip 32.

The plunger 24 comprises a rod 33 which is fitted within the spring 28and has a cross bar or handle 34; upon its end. This handle 34 isadapted to be engaged by the palm of an operators hand. At the lower endof the rod 33 a head 35 is provided for engaging the stopper 16. y

The lower end of the syringe body 18 is externally threaded fordetachably securing thereto a hub 36 of a hypodermic needle 37. The hub36 is provided with a conical recess 38, which is adapted to receive acorrespondingly shaped cone 39. The cone 39 is compressible and ispreferably made of rubber and is provided with a conical recess 40 intowhich the broken end of the ampule 11 fits when the ampule is insertedinthe syringe. The needle 37 is permanently secured to the hub 36 bysoldering or in any other suitable "manner. One end of this needle 37 isadapted to extend up into the reduced portion 13 of the ampule 11 as at42 and the other end may be beveled to form a point as at 43.

When it is desired to use my improved syringe for making an injectionthe cap 23 is removed from the body 18 and anampule 11 is inserted intothe body of the syringe, the tip 14 oi the ampule having been previouslyremoved. As the ampule is moved down- I neck of the ampule engages thebead 57.

wardly in the syringe the spring fingers 21 will center it 'causingthetapered end to pass into the conicalrecess of the rubber cone 39.

After the ampule has been placed in the syringe the cap 22 is againsecured to the body of the syringe. As the cap is being placed inposition the head 29 on the lower telescopic member 27 abuts the upperend of the ampule and the conical shape of this head 29 causes theampule to be correctly centered. The op erator then grasps the crossbars 19 with his fingers and places the handle 34 in the palm of hishand/ The handle 34 is thenmoved towards the'cross bars 19 to cause thehead 35 to engage the stopper 16 of the ampule 11. On a further movementof the plunger rod the head 35will force the stopper 16 toward therestricted portion 13 and thus the contents of the ampule will be forcedinto and through the hypodermic needle 37.

As pressure is applied on the plunger head 35 to move the stopperdownward the end of the ampule which is broken will be forced into verytight engagement with the rubber cone 39, thus creating a fluid tightseal between the broken end of the ampule and the rubber cone.

Since the head 29 is rendered yieldable by reason of its-telescopicmounting and the presence of the spring 28, it follows that it may bepositioned at varying points in the length of the body of the syringe,and still perform its function. By virtue of this arrangement the onesyringe is adapted to handle ampules of varying lengths and consequentlyof varying cubic capacities.

By providing the apertures 20 in the body 18of the syringe, sightopenings are formed through which the'contents of the ampule will bevisibleand so that the movement of the stopper 16 and the extent towhich the con- 1 tents of the ampule have been discharged may be readilyobserved by the operator of the 1 syringe.

. In Fig. 6 I have shown a syringe provided with a modified form ofplunger 51 and cap 52. The syringe 50 is similar in construction to thesyringe 10 shown in Fig. 1,

having a hollow tubular barrel 53 wherein equally spaced elongatedapertures 54 are provided and wherein ampule holding and centerin gspring fingers 55 are also provided. 7 A

tip 56 detachably engages the lower end of the barrel 53- and isprovided with a rubber cone 57 which has a bead 57 thereon. The

A hypodermic needle 58is detachably secured to the lower portionof thetip 56.

The plunger mechanism 51 comprises a plunger rod 59having a head 60 atone end and a handle or knob 61 at the opposite end. The plunger rod 59is slidably mounted in the cap 52 which removably engages the upperportion of the barrel 53 by means of screw threads 62 and has a reducedlower end portion 63 adapted to guide the plunger rod 59.

The ampule 11 shown in Fig. 2 is also shown in this modified form ofsyringe and the plunger head 60 is adapted to enga e and actuate therubber stopper 16 to disc liarge the contents of the ampule aspreviously described in connection with syringe 10.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have providedan improved form of syringe wherein novel means is provided forcentering and holding an ampule, and wherein means is provided forforming a fluid tight joint between the ampule and the syringe andwherein an improved plunger means is provided for discharging thecontents of an ampule.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel, a cap onsaid barrel, a plunger rod, :1 spring surrounding said plunger rod, ahandle for operating said plunger rod, a plurality of telescopicelements surrounding said plunger rod, said spring engaging said cap andthe lowermost of said telescopic elements, a head on said lowermosttelescopic element ada )ted to engage the end of an ampule said headbeing tapered to center said ampule.

2. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel, a plungerrod, a spring surrounding said plunger rod, a handle for operating saidplunger rod, a removable cap on said barrel, a plurality of telescopicelements surrounding said plun er rod, said spring engaging said cap andt e lowermost of said telescopic elements, a bead carried by saidlowermost telescopic element and ads pted to engage the end of saidampule, said head being adapted to center said ampule, and means on saidbarrel for holding and centering said ampule independently of the headon said telescopic element.

3. A syrin e of the character described comprising a barrel, a plungerrod, in. spring surrounding said plunger rod, a handle for operatingsaid plunger rod, a removable ca on said previously mentioned body, aplura ity of telescopic elements surrounding said plunger rod, saidspring bearingbetween said cap and the lowermost of said telescopicelements, and a head carried by said lowermost telescopic elementadapted to engage therear end of said ampule, said head being adapted tocentralize said ampule, and means on said body for holding andcentralizing said ampule independently of said head on said telescopicelement.

4. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel, :1 ca onsaid barrel, a plunger rod, a handle or operating said plunger rod, aplurality of telescopic elements surrounding said plunger rod, means forurging said cap and the lowermost of said telescopic elements apart, ahead on said lowermost telescopic element adapted to engage the end ofan ampule, said head including means to center said ampule.

5. A syringe including a barrel and a plunger movable in said barrel, anampule in said barrel, and resilient means peripherally spaced aboutsaid barrel and engaging said ampule intermediate its ends for centeringthe ampule in the barrel.

6. A syringe including a barrel, a closure for said barrel, a removableampule in said barrel, a plunger in said barrel, means engaging the endof said ampule to hold it in the barrel and laterally movable springpressed means independent of said first means and engaging the outerWall of said ampule at spaced points thereon to center said ampule inthe barrel.

7. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel adapted toreceive an am- 4 pule, a plunger movable in said barrel, a handle foroperat ng sa1d plunger, centering means including a member having a Wall1nclined in respect to the axis of an ampule in the barrel andprojecting into said barrel and adapted to engage and enter the innerend portion of an ampule arranged in said barrel to center it.

8. A syringe of the character described comprising a barrel, a cap forsaid barrel, means for normally retaining said cap in engagement withsaid barrel, a plunger movable into said barrel through said cap, anampule in said barrel, a centering member, said ampule having an openend, said centering member including a portion larger than the end ofsaid ampule and a portion smaller than the end of said ampule andadapted to engage Within an ampule arranged in said barrel to center theampule, said centering member being movable into said ampule.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

ARTHUR E. SMITH.

